Virginia energy company proposes 100 MW battery energy facility on Mill Road
“A Virginia-based energy company is proposing to build a 100 megawatt/200 megawatt-hour battery energy storage facility on a Mill Road site just north of West Main Street.
The proposal comes as the Town Board is considering legislation that would regulate battery energy storage systems in Riverhead by designating zoning districts where the facilities would be allowed and setting forth standards for their construction.
A public hearing on the proposed legislation is scheduled to take place tonight at the Town Board meeting, which begins at 6 p.m. at Riverhead Town Hall.
Battery energy storage is not currently a permitted use in any of the town’s zoning districts. The proposed new code would allow “Tier 2” (capacity greater than 600kWh) battery energy storage systems in the Industrial A, Industrial C, Planned Industrial Park, Agricultural Protection, and Residence A-80 zoning use districts, by special permit of the Town Board.
Battery energy storage systems store energy for distribution at a later time. They are often developed to increase the effectiveness of renewable energy production such as solar energy facilities. The systems allow energy from renewables, like solar and wind, to be stored and then released later to meet customer demand.
Hexagon Energy’s limited liability company, Riverhead Energy, proposes to construct the battery energy storage facility on a 3.6-acre site at 95 Mill Road that is in the Residence B-40 zoning use district, though there are pre-existing commercial uses at the site that do not conform to the current zoning.“